Meet Ace Broadcaster, Bisi Olatilo’s Daughter

 

(NIGERIA)

In this interview with MOTUNRAYO JOEL, Adewunmi, one of the daughters of ace broadcaster, Bisi Olatilo, talks about her father

Tell us briefly about yourself

I am Adewunmi Funsho (nee Olatilo). I attended Estate Nursery and Primary School, Lagos State Model College and Apapa Memorial High School. I studied Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the University of Lagos. I currently run a fashion outfit.


How do people relate with you when you introduce yourself as Olatilo’s daughter?

Most times, I don’t use the name Olatilo, I leave out my last name because I don’t want any preferential treatment; not until they ask for my last name. When they finally hear my last name, they are usually surprised and most times, they show me kindness. My dad always says it’s good to have a good name and that it’s better than silver or gold. I’m grateful to be one of his children.

Can you recall any tight moment you found yourself that his name helped you out?

That was when I was in Katsina State observing the national youth service. There were problems during posting because many corps members wanted to serve in the city. But they were posted to villages. Since I didn’t want to be posted to a village, I went to one of the officials of the National Youth Service Corps to tell him my plight. When I introduced myself, he was very surprised and pleased at the same time, he decided that since my father is a broadcaster, I would be better off in the city. But I wasn’t really interested in serving in a television house. But at that moment, I had no choice. I was ready to accept any offer.

Do you get pressure from people to meet up to your father’s achievements?

Yes, very much, but I think knowing what you want in life is very important, because if one doesn’t discover oneself, one would get pushed around. Moreover, I’m a very shy person;I don’t like speaking in public. Right from the onset, I knew that his line of work wasn’t what I would venture into. Though I like being in the entertainment industry, I prefer being behind the scenes.

Growing up, was he overprotective over his children?

Any Nigerian man would be protective of his children. But with him, it was easy because my mother was the one in charge of the house, he was rarely around, so if we wanted anything, we had to get my mother’s approval first. Whatever my mother said was what he accepted. We had to convince my mother first. I think he believed that my mother, being the one around, knew what was good and what wasn’t good for us.

Did he tell you how he met your mother?

I can’t remember exactly, but I think he must have mentioned it to us. I think he said they met at an event in Ibadan. He was then a young broadcaster.

What has kept their marriage going?

I think it’s love. They will be celebrating 32 years of marriage this year. It’s God, patience and love. Patience is key. Sometimes, I pray to have the type of heart my mother has, she is such a patient woman. Being in the limelight, he always has people around him, but my mother has to be patient with him. She doesn’t bother about hearsay.

How do they handle disagreements?

They hardly disagree. I guess it is because he is not always around. We didn’t see them disagree. But one thing I know they always disagree about is discipline. My mother never spared the rod when any of us erred. My father is soft-hearted, so whenever my mother was beating us, he would start complaining. He would say, “Do you want to kill them?” But I think it is good that both of them are not too hard or too soft.

You said he wasn’t always at home, so how did you spend family time?

We used to go on road trips to Ibadan. It was fun. I remember he had a Peugeot 504 car; we would all jump into the car, singing and discussing. That was when the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was in good shape.

Is any of your siblings a broadcaster?

None of us is a broadcaster. I think it is because Bisi Olatilo is a brand name. It will be hard to fill his shoes. For example, if I approach someone and introduce myself as Olatilo’s daughter, and then the person asks me ‘‘Can you give me the kind of good package he gives me? I obviously can’t match his packaging style . But by God’s grace, my father is trying to build an empire for his children so that we will not rely on his name but on the good production package his company produces.

How did he discipline his children when they erred?

He would shout at us. Whenever he does that, it is worse than beating. But that didn’t happen much when we were young. We tried to be of good behaviour always.

Did you sometimes wish he was more around?

That is a very dicey question because his not being around helped him to work so hard to give us the best. He put in so much time and effort into his business. If he was at home and we didn’t have what we had while growing up, I don’t know how life would have been. I just thank God that my father is doing what he loves in order to provide for his family. I appreciate and thank him. I actually don’t know if I would have wanted him to stay at home more, because most times when he was home, we used to play around a lot. He tried as much as possible to utilise the time he spent with us.

How does your mother handle the issue of female admirers?

Any woman who has a husband who is into showbiz will get jealous once in a while. It is just normal. But I think a woman needs to understand her husband. My mother made up her mind not to listen to hearsay. Even if my father is not popular, women will still admire him. There should be a level of trust between a couple. My mother trusts our father and it is a good thing.

How does she handle rumours?

She listens to what he tells her and does not believe in rumours. There was a time they said he owned a house in the United Kingdom which was untrue. There were also rumours that he bought a house in Victoria Garden City, Lagos and that we were living there. They were lies. My mother disregards rumours.

Who were the famous faces you saw in your home while growing up?

I remember we used to see Ras Kimono, Blackky, Dele Momodu. We also once did a jingle for Bola Tinubu, Christy Essien Igbokwe. These were some of them.

How do you feel being his child?

I feel like a normal child. There are no special feelings. Maybe people might think differently but there is nothing extra-ordinary about it.

Do people see you as a silver spoon child?

I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. We acquired our silver spoon along the way. We thank God for His mercies, I still remember those days we ate eko(pap). My mother would hold a stick to beat any of us who refused to eat. We used to cry while eating it. But I’m glad today that things are different. We are grateful to God for where we are and that my father still enjoys what he does.

What price did he have to pay for stardom?

I would say family time. He does not keep friends He only has acquaintances and friends in the industry.

How comfortable is he, being a society man?

I think it’s like breathing, he doesn’t do anything extra. I don’t think he remembers when it all started; it’s become his way of life.

What do you like about him?

My dad is generous. He can give out his eye, but most times, people abuse his generousity. It doesn’t change who he is though. He is also family-oriented.

What don’t you like about him?

I don’t like his temperament. When he gets angry, it can be really bad. But he snaps out of it within minutes. However, at that point when he is angry, one will not want to be around him. It rarely happens though.

How close are you to him?

We are quite close; he is closer to his female children.

Did he use to visit you in school?

No, that was my mother’s job. But whatever my mother did, it was because of my father’s support. If he didn’t provide money, she wouldn’t be able to come visit me.

What values have you imbibed from him?

My father is a stickler for details, almost a perfectionist. I try to strive for that and emulate it though it’s not easy.

What qualities do you appreciate in him?

The way he loves his family. He doesn’t joke with his family. This really strengthens the love between us. If there is no love in a family, that family will be disunited.

How does he relax?

He hardly relaxes, when he is at home, he is either watching the news or writing a script. We used to make fun of him. Even when he is on vacation, he still calls the office to check the progress of things. I guess that is his nature. But when he is at home, he uses that time to relax, though he may be thinking of work, at least he is in a relaxed environment.

What does he do before going to bed?

I hardly see him go to bed. He comes home late because of work.

What does he say about the crisis in the nation?

He is as distressed as I am. I never thought Katsina could become a danger zone because it was peaceful when I served there. He is praying and wishing that the chaos ends. He believes Nigeria can be a better place.

Did he influence your career choice?

No, he didn’t influence my career choice. I took the decision to become an entrepreneur. I always wanted to be an employer and as a woman, it’s better to have one’s business. He helped me to fulfil my dream.

What is his favourite food?

He doesn’t have a favourite food now but for a very long time he used to like noodles. I remember then we used to make it for him every morning. But when the news about killer noodles broke, he stopped eating noodles. He also likes groundnuts and soft drinks.

Before getting married, did he advise you on the type of man to marry?

Not exactly, but I wanted a man who is like him in certain aspects, the way he loves his family and his hardworking nature. So maybe he did influence my choice.

What is his special drink?

It used to be a drink called Pinky, but he has stopped taking alcohol. He likes soda drinks.

What is his style of dressing?

He likes to dress in the Niger Delta style. He is in love with the style.

Tell us about his exit from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria?

I was still young then. I don’t know what happened exactly, but I still remember that the house we later moved into when we moved out of the FRCN premises was inspired by my mother. She was the one that bought the land. At first, my father wasn’t interested in living in the area when my mother showed him the land, but she still decided to keep it. When we were asked to leave FRCN because of an issue I’m not too sure about, we moved into the house built on the same land. I am glad my mother bought the land. We would have been homeless. It all happened for a reason, when a door is shut, God opens many others. If he wasn’t out of FRCN, he would not have been able to build his company.

Did he force any of his children to learn the three major languages, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa?

No, he didn’t force us. We all speak Yoruba, and his ability to speak three different languages was not something he planned. He grew up in Kano which was how he learnt Hausa. But his ability to grasp the three languages easily really helped him.

How does he handle criticism?

Like any other human, he sometimes gets hurt but he usually chooses to dwell on constructive criticisms.

What vision does he have for his company?

He hopes to grow his business bigger, but in the long run, he hopes to own a television station.